Time for U.S. women to play best soccer

By SCOTT PITONIAK

Gannett News Service

THESSALONIKI, Greece - Christie Rampone said she could sense a different feeling on the bus ride home following the United States' 1-1 tie with Australia in Olympic women's soccer Tuesday.

One-and-done time had arrived. Time to get down to business.

"We all knew we hadn't played our best soccer against Australia, but we had already put that behind us,'' the defender from Point Pleasant, N.J., said. "We already had moved forward. We know we're in the knockout round. We realized that the biggest challenges now lie before us.''

A victory Friday against Japan would advance the United States into a Monday night semifinal game, most likely against a German team that beat the Americans in the 2003 Women's World Cup finals. The Germans are heavily favored in their quarterfinal-round match vs. Nigeria.

The United States and Japan have played three consecutive ties against each other, the most recent on June 6 when the teams finished in a 1-1 deadlock.

"I think we played rather conservatively that game on purpose,'' said Rampone. "We anticipated we might meet again in the Olympics, so I don't think we wanted to show our hand.''

The Japanese are a technically sound team that relies on pinpoint passing and structured plays.

Rampone said it will be important to be more aggressive and consistent than during the team's first three Olympic matches.

"I think we need to go out there and dictate the pace and the style of the game rather than be dictated to,'' she said. "The hallmark of U.S. women's soccer has always been to take the approach that we are going to play our game no matter what. I don't think we've really done that so far during these Olympics.''

In victories against Greece and Brazil and the Australian tie, the Americans have failed to put together two strong halves.

"Japan is a very good team and if we play the way we did against Australia in the second half the other night, we are going to have our hands full,'' Rampone said. "If we want to win the gold we are going to have to play complete games here on out.''

The U.S. will be bolstered by the return of forward Abby Wambach, who missed the Australia game after picking up yellow cards in consecutive matches. She and Mia Hamm lead the United States in scoring with two goals apiece, while Shannon Boxx and Kristine Lilly have one apiece. Goal keeper Briana Scurry has two shutouts and is allowing an average of just .33 goals per match in the Olympics for the Americans, who are 2-0-1.

The desire to send Hamm and other retiring veterans off with a gold medal remains a huge motivating factor for Rampone and her younger teammates.

"They've done so much for this game,'' she said. "They deserve to go out on top. But nobody's going to lay down for us. The Japanese aren't going to become sentimental. We are going to have to earn it.''